Features, Rangely

Rangely school board candidates share their points of view

EDITOR’S NOTE: In next week’s Herald Times we will provide similar interviews with candidates for the Meeker School Board.
RANGELY I On this fall’s ballot there will be a number of questions impacting Rangely schools. In addition to the funding efforts of 3A and 5A there are two school board seats up for election. One incumbent and three new candidates—Sam Tolley, Jason Cox, Casey Ducey and Bart Nielsen —have stepped forward to run. The following are excerpts of brief conversations conducted with each candidate regarding the attributes of the district, school funding and the role of the board.

Casey Ducey
Casey Ducey decided to run for the school board to become more involved in the district and better understand the education system. Ducey said he hopes, “to understand the challenges our school system has been facing. I have two kids and I wanted to get more involved.”
Ducey believes that the people are the strength of the district. “That includes teachers, coaches, parents and the community,” he said.
Ducey, who supports the mill levy efforts on the ballot this fall, believes a lack of funding is both the biggest weakness and biggest threat facing the schools. He says his response to the funding issue as a board member would be to support more local funding efforts. “Living in a small community we are forced to rely on local funding if we are going to be forgotten by the state. I believe in Rangely first,” he said. He also views his potential role of school board member as, “Looking out for the students, making decisions on school programs, and ensuring our tax dollars get spent appropriately.”

Sam Tolley
Incumbent Sam Tolley is running for his second term on the board following what he views as a number of victories. When asked what those successes were Tolley said, “Listening, learning and not judging the decisions made by those that sat on the board before me, trying to help our superintendent to make our school the best we can with the resources available to us, not going in with a hidden agenda or thinking that we needed to change everything we were doing before I got on the board, being supportive of our students and staff, and always trying to do what is best for the students.” Tolley says he believes the district is headed in the right direction and that he’d like to help continue down that path.
Tolley also believes that the students and staff of the district are RE-4’s greatest attribute. “The willingness of our students to learn, combined with our staff’s ability to inspire our students not only to learn, but to become life-long learners are our greatest strengths,” he said.
However, Tolley also sees the limits of what the district is able to provide to the community. When asked about the greatest weakness of the schools he responded, “Being limited on what we can do to provide the greatest opportunity to our students, because of budgetary constraints.” Tolley expressed clear frustration with the lack of funding in the district, saying, “I was against the School Finance Act back in the early ’90s, which essentially took away our local control of funding and gave it to the state. Then the state was allowed to give money back to us as they saw fit. The negative factor is a fancy term for an IOU that they (the state) will never pay us. We have been told to quit whining about this IOU, because we are never going to get this money. We were told that if we need more money than we need to get the money ourselves. That is why 3A and 5A are so critical to keep the school district on the current path. We can’t depend on the state.” He concluded by saying, “It may be time to re-consider our representation at the state level.”
Tolley believes that the passage of 3A and 5A can help mend the budgetary woes. “While I do agree that taxes are the price we pay for us to live in a civilized society, and as much as I dislike unjust taxes, I fully support both 3A and 5A. This is a way that we (the community) can help to fund the school district and keep us going down, what I believe is, the right path.
Because we can only depend on ourselves, not big brother.”

Jason Cox
Jason Cox says he decided to run for the school board to, “be a positive influence on my children and to do my part at making the school system the best it can be for all our children.” Cox believes that there are many important aspects of being a school board member and that teamwork is vital. “Members must work together to make the best decisions for the district and community as a whole. With everything going on in the nation and state we can not allow education of our youth to fall short,” he said.
Similar to the other candidates Cox is concerned about the lack of funding from the state. “Oh boy, ‘negative factor’, don’t get me started,” he said. “It’s flat out robbery by the state. Let’s stop and think about that for a second, over $3 million since 2010! For a school system our size that is a significant and even debilitating amount of money. We all know Colorado will continue down this path and the odds of getting the School Finance Act rewrote are slim to none. That brings us back to why 3A and 5A are so important.”
Cox passionately argues for support of both mill levy efforts, which he calls crucial. “We as a community must take care of our children and educators alike. For the small amount of property tax increase per household (under $60 a year on a $200,000 home for both) there is no reason for both not to pass. We can not just standby and let the system endure more budget cuts causing it to be more shorthanded. We also must give our children the opportunity to compete in athletics. Sports are a positive outlet for students and help them prepare for life after school. I proudly have a yes for 3A and 5A sign in my front yard,” he said.
Cox also mentioned concerns about declining enrollment, age of facilities and hiring and retaining educators. However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the candidate. “Life is full of threats but if we stick together we’ve got a better chance,” he said. He also praised district staff describing them as RE-4’s greatest strength and saying “this is where the rubber meets the road”.

Bart Nielsen
Bart Nielsen has been active in the school district for years and is hopeful he can increase his service to Rangely’s youth by sitting as a school board member. He believes that the job of a board member is to, “be responsible for keeping the local school on track, setting goals and a direction, and holding the staff accountable for the goals.” He believes that as part of a team he can help the board fulfill these goals.
Along with the other three candidates Nielsen is hopeful that both mill levies will pass to help alleviate some of the budget constraints currently impacting the district. If elected, he also plans to address the problem head on. “I will fight to change it. I will pursue a way to keep Rio Blanco tax dollars for the schools in Rangely and not divided up for other schools out of our county,” he said.
Nielsen would also like to address what he sees as one of the main weaknesses impacting the school district, community involvement. “It’s the same handful of people that always donate their time and/or money for everything. We have to get creative in finding ways to get more people involved,” he said.
He also thinks it is vital to keep the district’s eye on the ball, improving academic achievement. “There’s room to improve our academics,” he said. “After all, that’s what we’re really there for.”
According to Nielsen, Rangely schools also have a lot to be proud of. “At sporting events I always hear from people that we have the nicest facilities, and that they are clean and well kept,” he said. “It takes a great staff to make that happen.”

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  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
  • Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
  • Read part three of the story of M.T. Streeter in this week’s edition of History Lessons! Find it in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • Choose-your-own-adventure…. Hear from our Editor in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
  • Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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Black Sulphur Tavern held a grand opening and ribbon cutting for their new business at 364 Seventh St. The space has been renovated with several TVs and games and provides a fun, friendly atmosphere to watch your favorite sports team and enjoy a burger and wings. Owners Frank Maestas and Pat Maestas are pictured with their new staff and Chamber of Commerce representatives Stephanie Hanson, Trudy Burri and Margie Joy. Follow Black Sulphur Tavern on Facebook. Their hours are Wednesday and Thursday 3-9 p.m., Friday 3 p.m. - 1 a.m., Saturday 11-1 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
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